Thursday, April 15, 2010

Franklin, MA: Summer St

Let's see how much we can glean from this picture:


The utility poles are in the street.
The sidewalk is breaking up.
The sidewalk doesn't go all the way.
The sidewalk doesn't have a curb.
The road has potholes.

Oh, and Franklin doesn't have a capital budget to have a regular repair program for its almost 200 miles of roads. We are dependent upon the graciousness of State Aid and grants.

Your road may be in worse shape than this.
You can continue to wait and be patient for someday getting to the top of the priority listing of roads to be repaired.
Or you can start advocating for a capital budget for roads and be willing to vote some money towards it.


Franklin voters have a choice. We can do more than complain about the road conditions. We can ask the Town Council to create a capital budget for road repairs.

Your choice.


Photo taken on Summer St heading towards King St from East Central here in Franklin, MA.

14th Annual FEF Trivia Bee - April 29 - 7:00 PM

14th Annual FEF Trivia Bee…Still Time to Enter Your Team!


On Thursday, April 29, 2010, the Franklin Education Foundation (FEF) will hold its 14th Annual Trivia Bee at the Horace Mann Middle School starting at 7:00 p.m. This year’s theme is history. 


We are thrilled to say that we have a impressive number of teams already signed up as well as some awesome auction items ... including Red Sox tickets!


THERE IS STILL TIME TO ENTER YOUR TEAM OR DONATE TO THE AUCTION!!!!


FEF is still accepting Team Sponsors and item donations for a special raffle. Companies, organizations, parents and individuals can enter a 3-person team of their own or sponsor a team of Franklin students. Team sponsorships are $300 each. The event is well known as a fun evening out with friends and neighbors, all while contributing to a worthwhile cause. It’s a great way to show your commitment to education in Franklin.


To sponsor a team or donate a raffle item please contact Maureen Roy at 508-528-5170 or MaurRoy@aol.com. For more information visit www.franklined.org.


Admission for spectators is free. Be sure to attend on April 29, and test your knowledge of history!




Franklin, MA

In the News: Solar panels, students walk

Franklin company receives $161K solar panel rebate

from The Milford Daily News News RSS

Students walk the walk for health

from The Milford Daily News News RSS





Franklin, MA

Volunteers needed to judge Franklin students' work

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:


via Wicked Local Franklin News RSS by Staff reports on 4/14/10

Franklin High School's Senior Project is looking for some community volunteers to judge the student presentations on May 26 and 27.

Over the next two months, students are working at internships outside of the school, and must complete 70 hours of interning by May 25. After the interning portion of the project is complete, the students will put together a presentation and portfolio of their work.

The presentations will take place Wednesday, May 26, and Thursday, May 27, in the Franklin High School Library between 7:35 a.m. and 2:05 p.m. Judges will include school administrators, faculty and community members. Each presentation ranges from 15-20 minutes, and there will be at least two presentations per hour. 

Judges can choose to stay for one hour or the entire day. Following each presentation is a question and answer portion. Coffee and donuts will be provided for judges. The judging rubric and more information can be found in the Senior Project Handbook on the high school's Web site.

If interested, email Sascha Werner D'Angelo at WernerS@franklin.k12.ma.us with the dates and times you are available, or call 508-528-5600 ext. 3053.

 

Things you can do from here:

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Full day Kindergarten - free or tuition based?

"Tell me what you think of Paid Kindergarten @$2600.00 per child."

This question came in from a loyal reader of Franklin Matters. Hmm, I thought paid kindergarten was offered by private schools. I did not realize that public schools could charge tuition so I went looking.




The map is contained in the Appendix of the Kindergarten report from the DESE referenced below. Focusing in a little closer on the map reveals Franklin and the surrounding communities.


Franklin's neighboring communities



DistrictFull-dayAvailabilityFree or TuitionQuality GrantTuition
BellinghamYesSomeTuitionNo$3,250
MedfieldYesSomeTuitionNo$4,500
MedwayYesSomeTuitionNo$3,255
NorfolkYesSomeTuitionYes$3,000
WrenthamYesSomeTuitionNo















FY10 Kindergarten programs available by municipality and at charter schools


As usual, the devil is in the details. The MA state regulations are very clear on the following:

(1) All school districts shall provide kindergarten education for all eligible children.
(2) Class size for kindergartens shall not exceed an average of 25.
(3) Kindergarten classes shall be taught by qualified and certified teachers.
Regulatory Authority: 603 CMR 8.00: M.G.L. c.69, §1B

MA state regulations go on to say:
All school districts are required to provide a free, part-time kindergarten education for eligible children. Although the department strongly encourages all districts to offer full-day kindergarten free of charge, districts may charge tuition for hours beyond the 425 instructional hours required for part-time kindergarten.
Districts receiving state funds under the Quality Full-Day Kindergarten grant program that charge tuition must abide by the following requirements and submit a signed Statement of Assurance to the Office of Elementary School Services. All School Committees and the staff involved in kindergarten registration and determining income eligibility should also be informed of these policies.

The bold I added for emphasis and therein lies the difference between "tuition-based" kindergarten and "free" kindergarten. MA is continuing to move to requiring full-day kindergarten across the state. The most recent update on this progress to full-day kindergarten mentioned the following:

Between FY00 and FY10 the percentage of kindergarten students attending full-day programs grew from 29 percent to 77 percent of students who attend public school kindergarten. A variety of factors has contributed to the growth of full-day programs, including a commitment by districts to expand their early education programs and the support provided by the state. 


There are now 279 districts in the Commonwealth that have some or all full-day kindergarten. Universal, voluntary full-day kindergarten is a key component of an early care and education system for children birth to third grade. Kindergarten is the threshold year in children’s lives and education, merging home, non-public and public early education and care and preschool programs into the public education system. Funding for the Kindergarten Development Grant Program in the last eleven fiscal years (FY00 to FY10) has supported school districts’ voluntary transition from half-day to full-day kindergarten and the ongoing quality enhancement of existing full-day programs.


The benefits of full-day kindergarten can be maintained and magnified as children continue in school. It can contribute to cost savings and improve educational outcomes if the elements of quality are in place from preschool through third grade, with strong leadership at every level. The Department is committed to full-day kindergarten programs even during fiscally strained times. If there is a need to restructure funding, the Department is open to targeting grant awards to high need districts, including those that meet the new accountability and assistance system schools in levels 3 and 4. We also want to ensure that the Chapter 70 reimbursement policy promotes tuition-free full-day kindergarten and creates disincentives for eliminating existing full-day kindergarten programs.

The full report can be found here: http://www.doe.mass.edu/research/reports/0310kindergarten.pdf

The other important difference has to do with full-day versus half-day kindergarten. According to the MA state regulations, half-day kindergarten must be free. A school district can charge for full-day kindergarten but it is not as easy as it sounds. The kindergarten educational curriculum required by the state must be delivered free. So even if you have a full-day program and decide to charge for it, the required curriculum must be delivered during the "free" half-day. 

Chapter 70 funds from the state are provided according to a complicated formula. One key number in the formula is the number of eligible students. If you do have a full-day tuition based kindergarten, those students come out of the Chapter 70 reimbursement. So will the community be able to charge enough to fully fund the service they provide and offset the Chapter 70 reimbursement they lose? Not likely.

To explore this further I sat down with Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski, Director of Finance Miriam Goodman, and Karen Seyfried, Principal/Director of F.X. O'Regan Early Childhood Development Center.

Franklin offers free full day kindergarten for several reasons:


1 - The Franklin Public School philosophy aligns with the State's direction on full day kindergarten. Early and developmentally appropriate education pays great benefits. The district has been a high-performing district for some time. It is no coincidence that full day kindergarten has been instrumental to the district's success. When other districts go to the State DESE for guidance on how to implement full day kindergarten, Franklin is used as a reference. Franklin Public Schools welcomes such discussions and visits.


2 - Full day kindergarten helps the district manage its Special Education costs. As acknowledged with the quote from the state above, early identification and remediation of instructional issues help the student overcome them quicker. While overall 'out of district' education costs are determined by the state, Franklin helps to control its own destiny with full day kindergarten. It may seem to be a "no-brainer" but this does help. Fewer students require special education with the Franklin program and those that do generally require less of a program overall. Over 90% of the ECDC students go into a general classroom.


3 - Even if Franklin were to explore a tuition-based program for full-day kindergarten, the costs and issues for implementation would not be covered by the money generated by the tuition. The curriculum today is delivered over a full day schedule. Moving to a tuition-based full day would require reworking the curriculum so that the required portion could be covered in the 'free' half day portion leaving the 'enrichment' program for the remaining half day. The tuition lost by removing the kindergarteners from the Chapter 70 reimbursement would require that the tuition charge be in excess of $4300 per student in order to break-even. This would be cost prohibitive.

So while Franklin is surrounded by communities where most charge for kindergarten, it is not a viable option, nor the right direction for Franklin.

School Committee 04/13/10

The collection of live posts from the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 can be found here:




Franklin, MA

"looking at cutting the athletic program"

By Ashley Studley/Daily News staff
Posted Apr 14, 2010 @ 12:35 AM
Some School Committee members last night said taxpayers will need to pass a Proposition 2 1/2 tax override to prevent severe cuts. Moves being considered include the elimination of all sports and extracurricular activities.
The discussion came after Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski gave the committee a general list of possible cuts to bridge its expected $1.8 million deficit if a Proposition 2 1/2 tax override isn't passed. She did not provide specific figures, but will do so at the committee's next meeting.
"I'd like to be able to go to the Town Council (meeting) on the 28th of April, and I'd like the council to fill that gap of $1.8 million with override revenues," Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy said. "We have to stop eliminating these programs."

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here


Open Meeting Law Changes – Request for Comment

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:


via At Issue & In Focus by Massachusetts Attorney General on 4/13/10

The Open Meeting Law was recently revised as part of the 2009 Ethics Reform Bill, and will centralize responsibility for state-wide enforcement of the law in the Office of the Attorney General.  The effective date of the revised law is July 1, 2010. Historically, the Attorney General has enforced  the Open Meeting Law applicable to state governmental bodies.  Local District Attorney's Office's were responsible for enforcement of the laws relative to cities, towns, and counties. 

Among the changes that become effective July 1, 2010, the Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A, § 19(c),  will require that, for local public bodies, "notice of public meetings must be filed with the municipal clerk and posted in a manner conspicuously visible to the public at all hours in or on the municipal building in which the clerk's office is located."  The law does not specify the ways in which cities and towns can satisfy this requirement, but an outdoor, weather-proof bulletin board would seem the most obvious means.  Concerned about their practical ability to post numerous meeting notices outdoors, many municipalities have requested that the Attorney General approve alternative notice posting methods as allowed by the Open Meeting Law.  Specifically, numerous municipalities have requested that they be permitted to satisfy the "at all hours" requirements by posting their meeting notices on their town websites.

The AGO, through its Division of Open Government is requesting public comment on proposed alternatives to the notice posting requirement in the Open Meeting Law.  Comment should be submitted by April 23, 2010.

Things you can do from here:

Franklin company earns GM award

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:


via The Milford Daily News News RSS by Staff reports on 4/12/10

Clark-Cutler-McDermott Company last month received the 2009 Supplier of the Year Award from General Motors at a ceremony at the Design Dome in Michigan.

The company -  which supplies acoustical insulation and interior trim parts to GM plants throughout the country - was one of 76 companies recognized out of 20,000 worldwide suppliers.

"It is certainly a privilege  and an honor for us to be named a General Motors 2009 Supplier of the Year award recipient,'' President Thomas R. McDermott said in a press release. "The commitment, hard work and dedication of all our employees is reflected in this prestigious award. We are very grateful to General Motors for this honor.''

The award program began in 1992, and each year a global team of purchasing, engineering quality, manufacturing and logistics executives determine the winners. Decisions are based on supplier performance in quality, service, technology and price.

Clark-Cutler-McDermott has three factories at 5 Fisher St.

Things you can do from here:

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Live reporting - Information matters/Closing

5. Information Matters

Superintendent’s Report
a. Enrollment Comparison

facilities update, the grounds will be fertilizer Sunday morning and not be ready for use until Tuesday.  A  Connect-Ed update will also go out to the school population and families


b. Financial Audit
Miriam Goodman - end of year report submitted annually to DESE, the report is extensive, there are three minor findings of expenditures reported on one line instead of another. Overall it was an excellent audit.

School Committee Sub-Committee Reports - none

School Committee Liaison Reports
JPCC today, budget reviewed, hopefully will try to pass that one to their membership

Cafasso - School Bldg committee will meet in early May, progressing on selection of an architect

Glynn - To Mr Sherlock's point, I'll start to collect some items to help present to the community the full and complete story

Roy - at a recent MICA event, seven different school ensembles performed, all seven received medals, one Gold for Franklin High School - will be performing at Symphony Hall in Boston this Saturday

6. New Business
To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.

Trahan - reminder about FEF Trivia Bee on 4/29


Glynn - I was at the MICA Festival to see the middle school perform



7. Executive Session
Contractual Negotiations

motion to enter with no intention to return to public
approved 7-0





Franklin, MA

Live reporting - Action items

4. Action Items
A. I recommend approval of the 2010-2011 School Calendar with the change discussed. motion to approve, passed 7-0
B - covered earlier in meeting
C. I recommend approval of the field trip request for Keller 5th Grade class to visit Roger Williams Zoo in Providence, RI on May 7, 2010 as detailed.  motion to approve, passed 7-0
D. I recommend acceptance of a check for $250.00 from the Alliance for Climate Education for the FHS for supplemental curriculum materials.  motion to approve, passed 7-0
E. I recommend approval of the RMS Adventure Club’s recurring trip to Mt. Monadnock, Jaffrey, NH for May 15, 2010 as detailed.  motion to approve, passed 7-0
 Franklin, MA

Live reporting - budget FY 11

3. Discussion Only Items

B. Budget Discussion
Broad and general discussion with regards to the overall Town budget situation
$1.8 million difference between level service and level funded (actually 1.9 but less the 100,000 offset from the Town side)
School Committee meeting on 4/27 would get closer to the choices in advance of the Town Council meeting and discussion on 4/28

working to reduce health care costs via a redesign to allow for only a 3% increase in health care costs.

agreed last year to hold the high school harmless for cuts this year due to decisions made last year

will look at high school athletic fees versus actual operating costs, there may need to be an icrease

we'll be looking at personnel reductions in the K-5

possibly shortening the elementary school day to cover some prep time, may present some challenges for parents but would be out of the box approach to save teachers.

we are not ready at this time to put half day kindergarten on the table. going to half-day would require a systemic redesign of the curriculum, it would likely also bring about some other unintended consequences

wage freezes were obtained last year with the intent that the community would step up to do their part this year.

meeting with the administrative team in the morning to review these and get more specific.

shortening the elementary level only one day a week, not everyday
would require looking at how specialists are scheduled across the district

Cafasso - looking at the transportation contracts, I believe we can do with less buses, some of the rides might get a little longer but there are a lot of empty seats on the buses at Horace Mann

Look at turning down thermostats and see how much that would, if anything, buy us
look at the foreign language curriculum

If the voters in this town don't think they are getting their monies worth, they got another thing coming

Trahan - It is tough but I think the community will need to see what they can contribute this year.

Glynn - pay to ride, look at what it is for everyone. I know it is against state law, These cuts are painful and need to be equitable. Look at everything else we can cut to preserve the sanctity of the classroom.


I stepped up to remind the Committee to come back for their next meeting with the one-page overview reconciliation of where they started and where they are. Already tonight you are talking about 1.9 and 1.8 shortage when on Jan 26th, you were presented a 53.5 million budget that at the time was an increase of 2.2 million over the prior year.

I will help you spread the word on the need for the money but you need to get all the numbers on the same page and be in agreement on what they are. You may not be deliberately trying to confuse the issue but it could be read that way.


Franklin, MA

Live reporting - space needs

3. Discussion Only Items
A. Space Needs Sub Committee Report and Modular Rubric
Roberta Trahan - subcommittee chair
Space at the high school but most other space has been utilized
Looking for direction from the committee overall on what to do next, i.e. re-districting

Rohrbach - Davis Thayer space, Town has not yet financed to remove the modular units (although approved by School Committee).

Trahan - with the modulars out, there would be some space depending upon the enrollment at the time

Horace Mann is using space that would otherwise be Oak Streets not the other way around.

Sherlock - Clarification on the use of the rubric, a four point scale but some of the pages had two numbers, hence you couldn't make a decision?
Trahan - yes, some of the modular units fell between the status categories

Sherlock - I was also anticipating that the room capacities would be included so one could assess the true space needs and capacity requirements of what we have and what we need.

Discussion on minor re-districting possible to address crowding at JF Kennedy, Keller and shift to elsewhere.

Sabolinski - We started the re-districting process with space needs, an enrollment projection.
Roy - the last one we did was 2001, so it has lasted for quite some time
Cafasso - we need to look at where these is growth, as you go around town, there is new building coming. Look at the housing turnover, particularly with the elderly leaving at some point to "cash in" on their housing values.

That segways nicely into out budget discussion



Franklin, MA

Live reporting - 5 minute recess

5 minutes recess to allow the JF Kennedy students and families to leave





Live reporting - JF Kennedy food service presentation

2. JF Kennedy Food Service Presentation

5th Graders: Madison Harrington, Kendyl Ryan, Joseph Sarno, Daniel Wasnewsky. 
4th Graders: Jake Noviello, Cameron Riu, Kevin Sassaman,  Camille Fischer. 
3rd Graders: Nitin Chaudhury, Riley Downing, Arun Kavishwar, Cade Ryan.

(copy of presentation to be obtained and added later)

95% said they wanted another choice besides milk for a drink
water and a variety of fruit juices made the list of alternatives

I won't be able to type fast enough to capture the voices and uniqueness of the presentation. Once the on-demand video is available, I'll include the link. It will be well worth a few minutes to watch. These 3-4-5th graders did very well!



Franklin, MA

Live reporting - Secretary contract

B. I recommend adoption of the Secretaries Contract for July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2013 as detailed.
motion to approve - passed 7-0

Rohrbach - secretaries make things happen in the schools, thanks to them for their effort
Glynn - The end result is not a contract I would approve for my own business, so it’s not a contract that I can approve for the town’s business either.
Mullen - increases are not much due to difficult times, negotiations went very smoothly. Scheduled meetings out in advance, thanks for that.


Douglas - a big thank you!
Roy - a wonderful and collegiate atmosphere, it is surprising that it was done so quickly. Very minimal increase at best. Very key players on this team. Want to see great things for this district. Reach out and say thank you to those present and not tonight.


Rohrbach - It is not a large increase, it is minimal. 
Trahan - I too wish to thank you for collegiate atmosphere and cooperation.


Sabolinski - They are the face of the public schools, there are 17 members in the bargaining unit.


Vote on motion to approve - passed 6-1




Franklin, MA

Live reporting - School Committee Meeting 4/13/10

Present: Douglas, Cafasso, Rohrbach, Mullen, Roy, Trahan, Glynn
Absent: none


1. Routine Business
Citizen’s Comments - none
Review of Agenda - order of events adjusted slightly (moved adoption of Secretaries Contract up to before the signing ceremony)
Minutes: I recommend approval of the Open and Executive Session minutes from the March 23, 2010 School Committee Meeting.  motion to approve, passed 7-0
Payment of Bills  - Mr. Glynn  motion to approve, passed 7-0
Payroll  - Mrs. Douglas
FHS Student Representatives
Glynn raised question on new schedule vs. three years of the old schedule, thoughts on it?
Gianetti - liked it, work distributed better
Price - longer lunch and bathroom breaks between sessions were good, less time missed from class.

Correspondence
1. Budget to Actual
2. Demand for Arbitration


Franklin, MA

FRANKLIN, MA: CELEBRATE EARTH DAY - April 17th

SATURDAY, APRIL 17TH

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED FOR TOWN-WIDE CLEAN UP, KIDS ACTIVITIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXHIBITS AT BEAVER POND

(FRANKLIN) – Franklin will celebrate Earth Day on Saturday, April 17th with a roadside clean up, spring plantings, and new environmental activities for all ages with activities based at Beaver Pond.
 
Earth Day kicks off “rain or shine” at 9:00 a.m. when volunteers start a town-wide roadside clean up of litter and set out plants and flowers. After this winter’s snowfall, many of the town’s most scenic streets can be quickly restored to an attractive roadside with just a few hours of time. Please bring gloves for each person and rakes.
 
All volunteers are asked to sign in at Beaver Pond between 9:00am-11:00am, so that the areas most in need of a spring clean up get attention. To nominate a town road which needs a cleanup, please call or email the DPW as soon as possible.
 
This year, volunteers will be given a trash bags for collecting cans, glass bottles, trash and litter. Volunteers simply leave the bags along the roadside by 1:00 p.m., after which Franklin DPW trucks will pick up the bagged trash.
 
Last year’s clean up brought out about 250 volunteers and the trash picked up filled one 40 yard dumpster. Over one ton of litter was collected.

Community service certificates are issued to youths and adults who sign in before and after. Earth Day t-shirts are given to the first 300 volunteers and there will be free pizza and beverages starting at 1:00 p.m. for returning clean up crews.
 
Volunteers are also needed to help pick up donated goods, help run events at Beaver Pond and assist with the registration table.
 
Also on site will be family recycling crafts, environmental booths, demonstrations, and entertainment. Dean Radio WGAO, will be on site to broadcast live from the event.
 
Sponsoring groups and businesses this year so far include: Signs by Cam, Rehrig Pacific Company, Waste Management, Comprehensive Environmental, Inc., CDM, Malcolm-Pirnie, Garelick Farms, Aubuchon Hardware, State Forest Advisory Council, Metcalf Materials, Hillside Nurseries, Domino’s Pizza, Bimbo Bakeries, Dunkin Donuts, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Various boys and girls scouts, Hillside Nurseries, Franklin High School Green Team, Franklin Garden Club, Franklin Citizen’s Rail Trail Committee, Green at Dean College, Dean Community Outreach program, Coles Tavern, and Metacomet Land Trust.


Originally posted on the Franklin website here
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_News/0155CD91-000F8513


Walk to School - 3 Week Challenge

Walk to School - 3 Week Challenge

April 14 – Challenge Day Kick-Off

Participants will be given a ticket to track the three days walked over three weeks.
 
Prize of a “Family Night” for the most participants.
 
OPEN TO ALL SCHOOLS - Check your school to see if they are participating.
 
Take the Walking Challenge on April 14th, 28th & May 5th.
 
Walk to School!!!!!

Sponsored by the Healthy Futures Task Force and the YMCA



Originally posted on the Franklin website here:
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_News/015607D0-000F8513

Franklin, MA

Franklin, MA: Precincts 2 - 3 - 4 Vote today!

 The primary election to ultimately determine the replacement for Scott Brown's seat is today from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

Franklin High School, signs should direct you to the small gym.



Get out and vote!

I'll combine my Tuesday running workout with my vote.

Maybe you could walk to the high school or take a bike?


Franklin, MA